Escutcheon-plate adjuster.



R. A. .SILGOX. BSG UTGHEON PLATE ADJUSTER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, 1912 1,063,612. Patented June 3; 1913.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY COLUMBIA PLANOGIAPH 50.. WAspma'lom'n. c.

UNITED STATESE ROBERT A. SILCOX, OF NORV/ALK, CONNECTICUT.

ESCUTCHEON-PLATE ADJUSTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 3, 1913.

Application filed March 20, 1912. Serial No. 685,122.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT A. SILCOX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norwalk, county of F airfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Escutcheon-Plate Adjusters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive tool for adjusting escutcheon plates, roses, etc., centrally to a knob spindle and thereby prevent binding of the knob shank in the socket which receives it.

So far as I am aware, no tool or implement has ever been provided for this purpose, and it is a matter of good luck, as knob latches are ordinarily applied, if the knob shank does not bind to the socket, this for the reason that the knob spindle necessarily has considerable play in the hub or roll-back. The usual mode of operation is to attach one knob to the spindle, then pass the spindle through the hub or roll'back and then attach the other knob. If the escutcheon plates are attached first they must be set by guesswork. If either or both of them are attached after the knobs are in place, there is no way of insuring their accurate centering with the knob spindle owing to the looseness of the spindle in the hub or roll-back.

My present invention provides a simple and accurate means for centering both escutcheon plates or roses so that they can be attached in place before the knob spindle is passed through the hub or roll-back and may be permanently secured in place without danger of either knob shank binding in its socket.

With this and other objects in view I have devised the novel escutcheon setting tool which I will now describe referring to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and using reference characters to indicate the several parts.

Figure 1 is an elevation of so much of the edge of a door as is necessary to illustrate the use of my novel tool, an escutcheon plate appearing in elevation and the position of the latch case being indicated by dottedv lines; Fig. 2, an edge view of a door with a latch case in place therein, escutcheon plates being in place and shown partly in section, and illustrating the operation of centering the escutcheon plates by the use of my novel tool which is also shown partly in section; Fig. 3, an elevation of the shank of the tool detached; and Fig. 4: is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, which is provided for the purpose of illustrating the function of the tool in setting an escutcheon plate centrally with the knob spindle so that the knob shank will not bind in its socket.

1O denotes a door, 11 a mortise latch case in place therein, 12 the roll-back or hub of the latch, 13 the knob spindle, 14 a knob, 15 escutcheon plates, 16 a knob shank and 17 the socket in the escutcheon plate which receives the knob shank. All of these parts may be of any ordinary or preferred construction as specifically they form no por tion of the present invention, the purpose of which is to centrally adjust any style of escutcheon plate or rose upon doors of any ordinary thickness and in connection with any type of knob latch.

My novel attachment comprises a shank having an angular central portion 18, which corresponds with an ordinary latch spindle and is adapted to pass through and engage the hub or roll-back of a latch, and having threaded ends 19. Operating in connection with the shank are wing nuts 20 provided with tapering heads 21 which are adapted to engage any ordinary size of socket or opening in an escutcheon plate or rolls.

The operation of my novel tool will be obvious from Fig. 2. The latch case having been inserted in its mortise and secured in place, the shank is passed through the hub or roll-back, the escutcheon plates passed over the ends thereof and the wing nuts are turned onto the opposite ends of the shank until they engage the walls of the sockets or openings in the escutcheon plates and center them with relation to the shank, the angular portion of which corresponds with a knob spindle. The escutcheon plates or roses are then permanently secured in place, after which one of the wing nuts is turned off and the shankewithdrawn, and then the knob spindle is inserted and the knobs attached in the usual or in any preferred manner. There will be this difierence, however,

between the use and non-use of my novel Having thus described my invention, I claim:

A tool for locating escutcheon plates for door knobs, comprising a threaded shank 5 having an angular central portion, for the purposevset forth, and elongated nuts adjustably mounted on the opposite ends of said shank and provided with tapering heads adapted to engage and support opposite escutcheon plates whereby the latter may 11) be centered and secured in position with relation to the shank.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ROBERT A. SILCOX. Witnesses MARSHALL L. Pnnscorr, PATRICK W. MOGRATH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C." 

